Cloud. Or Ocean.

My colleague Kurund made an interesting observation over lunch.

"Your data may reside in the Cloud. But you can only get to it through the Ocean."


And I realized that while this is true, I had no idea about how and what the Ocean transmission of data involved. I decided to find out a little more and its fascinating. Have a look at how the Internet is connected through the Ocean and you too are likely to be amazed.

How Undersea Internet Cables Carry The Internet Across The Ocean
Earth Lab
The internet connects people all across the world, but how do fiber optic cables carry the internet across the oceans? BBC Earth Lab explores!

Inside the Beach House Connecting the World’s Internet
We visit Denmark and talk to a marine maintenance manager to learn more about how undersea cables are crucial to data transportation.

Undersea Cables Power The Internet
Every time you visit a web page or send an email, data is being sent and received through an intricate cable system that stretches around the globe. Since the 1850s, we've been laying cables across oceans to become better connected. Today, there are hundreds of thousands of miles of fiber optic cables constantly transmitting data between nations.

How Undersea Internet Fiber Optic Cables Are Laid On The Ocean Floor

And an excellent article on the subject fromVox.

A map of all the underwater cables that connect the internet
By Phil Edwards
https://www.vox.com/2015/3/13/8204655/submarine-cables-internet

Just Married... 25 years ago !

On Feb 13, Ivy and I celebrated 25 years of our marriage. Ours has been a marriage of
"Imperfect Understanding." 
I've been Imperfect. And Ivy's been Understanding.

Freia sent a Tweet wishing us.

Although I must say that in 25 years, I've managed to turn that look of "What the hell am I getting into ...", into an awesome smile of, "It wasn't too bad."

I've got a zillion reasons to be thankful to Ivy for having tolerated me for 25 long years. To celebrate 25 years, here's my list of 25 Thank You's.

Thank you for ...

• Freia.

• Reia.

• being the perfect daughter-in-law.

   

• looking after Daddy.

• looking out for and always supporting me. Unconditionally.

   

   

• being a perfect homemaker.

• giving me a a zillion cups of Chai.

• adjusting to my work schedule.

• doing 100% of the cooking. And making amazing food.

• doing 100% of managing our house. And making it a beautiful home.

• doing 100% of managing the kids. And raising awesome kids.

• being a pleasing person for 25 years, just as you said when we first met.

• Smiling. Always.

   

• tolerating my tantrums.

   

   
  
  

•  making up, even though it was I who was being unreasonable.

   

• expecting Nothing. And not getting mad when that's exactly what I got you.

• caring for people you don't even know. Your patients.

• tolerating and sometimes even encouraging my always changing idiosyncrasies.

• never caring about money.

• loving me.

   

• caring for me.

• accepting me as I am.

   

   
  
  

• for the music you introduced me to.

   

   

•  being PERFECT.

   

• and being Just The Way You Are.

And while I've not been a great husband for the last 25 years, I commit to being better during the next 25. With a hope that in case I fail, you'll continue to tolerate me. And love me as I Love You. Since Feb 13, 1994. And forever more.

25 years ago we set out on the Voyage of our Lifetime. And it's been an Amazing and Beautiful Voyage. Onwards to 25 more years of this Beautiful Voyage.

Bon Voyage Mon Amie et Mon Amour

p.s.: I just realized I haven't given you a gift for our 25th. Or for the previous 24 anniversaries. How about I get something really cool for our 26th ? :)

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

Preema had recommended that I read Dr. Yuval Noah Harari. Like most other things, I hadn't heard about Dr. Harari. The first book I picked was his last. Homo Deus.

The book was fascinating. It gave a different perspective on the future. I recommend that you definitely read it. Am giving below some excerpts of Homo Deus.

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Yuval Noah Harari, author of the critically-acclaimed New York Times bestseller and international phenomenon Sapiens, returns with an equally original, compelling, and provocative book, turning his focus toward humanity’s future, and our quest to upgrade humans into gods.

Over the past century humankind has managed to do the impossible and rein in famine, plague, and war. This may seem hard to accept, but, as Harari explains in his trademark style—thorough, yet riveting—famine, plague and war have been transformed from incomprehensible and uncontrollable forces of nature into manageable challenges. For the first time ever, more people die from eating too much than from eating too little; more people die from old age than from infectious diseases; and more people commit suicide than are killed by soldiers, terrorists and criminals put together. The average American is a thousand times more likely to die from binging at McDonalds than from being blown up by Al Qaeda.

What then will replace famine, plague, and war at the top of the human agenda? As the self-made gods of planet earth, what destinies will we set ourselves, and which quests will we undertake? Homo Deus explores the projects, dreams and nightmares that will shape the twenty-first century—from overcoming death to creating artificial life. It asks the fundamental questions: Where do we go from here? And how will we protect this fragile world from our own destructive powers? This is the next stage of evolution. This is Homo Deus.

With the same insight and clarity that made Sapiens an international hit and a New York Times bestseller, Harari maps out our future.

https://www.amazon.com/Homo-Deus-Brief-History-Tomorrow/dp/0062464310 

 

Here's some details from the book's website.

HOMO DEUS

Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow examines what might happen to the world when old myths are coupled with new godlike technologies, such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering.
Humans conquered the world thanks to their unique ability to believe in collective myths about gods, money, equality and freedom – as described in Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. In Homo Deus, Prof. Harari looks to the future and explores how global power might shift, as the principal force of evolution – natural selection – is replaced by intelligent design.

What will happen to democracy when Google and Facebook come to know our likes and our political preferences better than we know them ourselves? What will happen to the welfare state when computers push humans out of the job market and create a massive new “useless class”? How might Islam handle genetic engineering? Will Silicon Valley end up producing new religions, rather than just novel gadgets?

As Homo sapiens becomes Homo deus, what new destinies will we set for ourselves? As the self-made gods of planet earth, which projects should we undertake, and how will we protect this fragile planet and humankind itself from our own destructive powers? The book Homo Deus gives us a glimpse of the dreams and nightmares that will shape the 21st century.

About the Book

Sapiens explained how humankind came to rule the planet. Homo Deus examines our future. It blends science, history, philosophy, and every discipline in between, offering a vision of tomorrow that at first seems incomprehensible but soon looks undeniable: humanity will soon lose not only its dominance, but its very meaning. And we shouldn’t wait around for the resistance, either – while our favourite science fiction trope sees humans battling machines in the name of freedom and individualism, in reality these humanist myths will have long been discarded, as obsolete as cassette tapes or rain dances. This may sound alarming, but change is always frightening.

Over the past century, humankind has managed to do the impossible and rein in famine, plague and war. Today, more people die from obesity than from starvation; more people die from old age than from infectious diseases; and more people commit suicide than are killed in war. We are the only species in earth’s long history that has single-handedly changed the entire planet, and we no longer expect any higher being to shape our destinies for us.

Success breeds ambition, and humankind will next seek immortality, boundless happiness and divine powers of creation. But the pursuit of these very goals will ultimately render most human beings superfluous. So where do we go from here? For starters, we can make today’s choices with our eyes wide open to where they are leading us. We cannot stop the march of history, but we can influence its direction.

Future-casting typically assumes that tomorrow, at its heart, will look much like today – we will possess amazing new technologies, but old humanist values like liberty and equality will still guide us. Homo Deus dismantles these assumptions and opens our eyes to a vast range of alternative possibilities, with provocative arguments on every page:

• After four billion years of organic life, the era of inorganic life is now beginning.
• The main products of the twenty-first century economy will not be textiles, vehicles and weapons, but bodies, brains and minds.
• While the industrial revolution created the working class, the next big revolution will create the useless class.
• The way humans have treated animals is a good indicator for how upgraded humans will treat the rest of us.
• Radical Islam may fight rearguard actions, but the truly impactful religions will now emerge from Silicon Valley rather than the Middle East.
• Democracy and the free market will both collapse once Google and Facebook know us better than we know ourselves, and authority shifts from individual humans to networked algorithms
• We will knowingly renounce privacy in the pursuit of better health.
• Humans won’t fight machines; they will merge with them. We are heading towards marriage rather than war.
• Most of us will not get to decide how technology will affect our lives because most of us don’t understand it (how many of us voted on how the Internet would work?).

This is the shape of the new world, and the gap between those who get on-board and those left behind will be bigger than the gap between industrial empires and agrarian tribes, bigger even than the gap between Sapiens and Neanderthals.  This is the next stage of evolution. This is Homo Deus.

https://www.ynharari.com/book/homo-deus/


And while you're waiting to receive a copy of thebook, check out this lecture by Dr. Harari on the subject.

Railways Improvement - Not without Reason

For the last 6 months, ever since Ivy was transferred to Kalaburagi and we have been using the Railways extensively, I've been going on about how impressive the whole system is.

Recently Claudian made an interesting observation to me. He mentioned that this is relatively new and that the Railways Minister Piyush Goyal and the current government had a big role to play in the improvement. He sent me 2 articles that showed exactly how they had managed it. Have a read.

Train delays to cost top railway officials their promotion

During an internal meeting last week, the Railway Minister told Zonal Managers that they cannot hide behind the pretext of maintenance work to explain delays in train services. He warned the heads of Zonal Railways that delays in train services will defer their annual appraisals.

Train passengers in India have one common complaint that the trains don't come on time. But, maybe not anymore - except in some emergency situations. Railway Minister Piyush Goyal has asked senior Railway officials to improve train punctuality in one month or lose appraisal proportionately.

In 2017-2018 fiscal, 30 per cent trains were running late on the railway network.

During an internal meeting last week, the Railway Minister told Zonal Managers that they cannot hide behind the pretext of maintenance work to explain delays in train services. He warned the heads of Zonal Railways that delays in train services will defer their annual appraisals.

The Minister called out every zonal head individually and asked them to explain the poor punctuality figures. But, he came on heavily on Northern Railway- General Manager as his zone recorded  49.59 per cent punctuality performance till May 29- lowest on the index.

Last month, Prime Minister Modi had asked Piyush Goyal about the state of train punctuality and told him to improve it. A railway official told PTI that the Minister has taken a lot of flak for the delays, but Goyal knew it was a price he had to pay for the large-scale renewal of tracks. "However, the punctuality figures are way worse than what we had expected. Clearly, the zones are using maintenance work as an excuse to hide their inefficiency," the official said.

After Northern Railway, Northeast Frontier Railway and the Eastern Railway have performed poorly in punctuality performance index - 27 per cent and 26 per cent plunge respectively.

Railway Minister Goyal quoted media reports to explain how misusing resources have led to delays. He recalled a recent incident when engineers wasted Rs 25 lakh in a failed attempt to replace a girder at Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi. "The Minister demanded accountability from the General Managers and said such wasteful blocks should not be taken. He was aghast that such unnecessary delays were happening during the holiday season when trains are in high demand," the PTI quoted an official as saying.

According the officials who attended the meeting, Goyal has made it clear that by June 30, if punctuality of the trains in all the zones does not go up then their General Managers will not be considered for promotion. He also said that their performance ratings will depend on where they figure on the delay list. The lower they are, the worse for them," the Minister added. 

Earlier in April, the Minister, while addressing the 63rd Railway Week National Awards Function-2018, had said that "Punctuality of trains should be like that in Switzerland where clocks are set to the arrival of trains".

(With inputs from PTI)

https://www.businesstoday.in/current/economy-politics/train-delays-to-cost-top-railway-officials-their-promotion/story/278341.html

Stop fudging data to show improvement in punctuality figures: Piyush Goyal to railway zones

The national transporter had released figures that showed 76 per cent trains were running on time, as compared to an average 60 per cent all through.

NEW DELHI: Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal has warned zonal railways to stop data manipulation to show improvement in punctuality, indicating that punctuality figures provided by zones varied from passengers' feedback.

The national transporter had released figures that showed 76 per cent trains were running on time, as compared to an average 60 per cent all through.

In a letter to the zonal heads, the Railway Board last week warned against such fudging of data.

"Wrong feeding of arrival/departure of trains at terminals and interchange points continues to be adopted by zonal railways and divisions falsify records to improve punctuality.

"Feedback from general public through social media is continuously being received on daily basis. MR (Minister of Railways) has expressed his serious displeasure and directed that the practice must stop forthwith. Please ensure strict compliance to avoid any unpleasant situation," it said.

Punctuality performance of mail/express trains during the period from September 17 to September 23 showed that the Ranchi division in the South Eastern Railway had achieved 100 per cent punctuality and 21 divisions had recorded punctuality of 90 per cent and above during the period.

This is a major improvement from the average 60 per cent punctuality being maintained just two months back.

In the new time table, the railways has set a target of achieving 95 per cent punctuality.

https://m.economictimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/stop-fudging-data-to-show-improvement-in-punctuality-figures-piyush-goyal-to-railway-zones/articleshow/66054193.cms

On looking further, I found an even more interesting document.

I went through the document and was floored. It was amazing. I haven't seen such an effective document with totally clarity from large private organizations, let alone the Government. It has everything. What needs to be done. How it'll be done. When it'll be done. What the results should be. And how will they be measured.

I was super impressed with the Indian Railways. Now I'm even more impressed with the Indian Railways and the Government.

http://www.indianrailways.gov.in/Railways%20Presentation.pdf

Spire Stone - A Modern Stone

Freia recently shared that she used a device that helped her reduce stress and anxiety. I was intrigued. And checked what this device was "Spire Stone", she responded. I hadn't heard of Spire Stone, but decided to check it out.

It seems interesting and at $80 seems definitely worth trying. If STRESS stresses you out.

And the Amazon Page summarizes the features as:

Spire Stone: Stress Management and Activity Tracker for iOS & Android

• Stress Control: Spire's patented respiration sensor measures your breathing patterns all-day to help you keep control and manage stress
• When You Need It: If your breathing becomes tense or erratic, a gentle notification gives you actions you can take to help you relax
• Calm Down: Unlock the calming power of your own breath with visual exercises and guided meditations
• Keep Track: Follow your health progress through activity, steps, calories, and more
• Know Yourself: Learn where and when you're tense, calm, or productive
• Built to Last: Washer-resistant, charges wirelessly, and lasts 10 days on a single charge
• Scientifically-Proven: Spire is recommended by 1,000s of health professionals worldwide

However, I guess the most accurate details are on Spire Stone's website.
https://spirehealth.com/pages/stone

Watch an interesting interview with Spire's chief scientist.
NBC Press Here: Just Breathe - Neema Moraveji, Ph.D

And finally, here's an article that tries and answers the question you're asking right now.
Does The Spire Stress Tracker Actually Work?
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhochman/2015/06/21/does-the-spire-stress-tracker-actually-work/#5db2c8294139

And while I haven't purchased this yet, I must confess, I'm tempted.

I Came. I Ran. I Finished.

Finally the day I hope to run the half marathon at the Mumbai Marathon event has come. The starting time for the event is 5.30 a.m and we have to be at the venue 60 minutes before the flag off. This meant I had to leave home around 4 am.

Ad for the Mumbai Marathon

In preparing for the marathon, I had made a list of shorter practice runs I wanted to do before the race day. I had several of them to do, when I landed in India a week before the run. My mentors for the race, aka "Have run the race before", Claudian and Kurund advised me to take it easy. They specifically said, don't do any runs. As always, I heard them and their advise made sense. I was also traveling quite a bit. Nevertheless, I stupidly ignored them and went for the runs. The first one was of 5 kms and my legs were screaming, Stop. I ignored them and the next day went for a 10 km run. I barely made it. It was 4 days to race day and I went for a 5 km run again. This time my legs thought enough is enough and completely stopped functioning. I was now having difficulty walking. Claudian noticed and checked if I was okay. I put on my brightest Smile limped faster and sad, Yes, of course.

I was worried. Being fully fit, I was unsure. In an attempt to do q quick recovery, I liberally used Volini and Ice Heat, creams recommended after the race. The biggest question running through my mind was, "What if I couldn't finish ?".

The Marathon Track View

That night, I had a very fitful sleep. I woke up at 3 and tossed and turned until 3.30. Got ready and headed out. Took an Uber to the venue. The roads near the venue were closed and had to get off several kilometers away. There were buses arranged to get to the venue from the drop off points.

The venue was packed with tens of thousands of people. I later learnt that the Mumbai Marathon had 44,000 people who ran and of that around 13,000 people were running the half marathon.

The people running were of all groups. Young men and women. Middle aged men and women. Old men and women. Of all sizes and fitness levels. I was amazed that so many people were out there. And many of them were on their 2nd, 3rd and even 10th run. My new concern, was making a fool of myself in front of all these people. I suspect many of them had the same thoughts.

The race began and all of us were walking in a large group toward the start line. It felt like being in crowded train station. As soon as we reached the start line, everyone started running or more accurately jogging as did I. I was panting within the first few minutes. And still had over 21 kms to go.

I kept moving, jogging for 4 minutes, walking for 2 and telling myself, all I had to do was get to the finish line for the first and last time. The initial part of the track was over the Bandra Sea Link. The scenes were phenomenal. However, I was too busy trying to make it. Time passed slowly.

And every-time I felt like giving up, I would see an unfit man or woman who were jogging and sometimes walking with a look of determination. And that would inspire me to go for just 1 more kilometer. Slowly the kilometers I finished started adding up and the distance to go, kept reducing.

Along the way 1000's of people had lined up with food, chocolates and words of inspiration. Some were funny and made me smile. Unfortunately, by the time I finished, I had forgotten all of them. A big shout-out and Thank You to the thousands of Mumbaikars who  came out on the streets early morning and inspired us with their words, deeds and signs.

At 2 kms to go, I was done. And told myself that I couldn't give up now. And so even more slowly I moved forward. A combination of walking, jogging and shuffling ahead. I could see the finish line ahead. And put in my final reserve to go across it. I was done.

And I suddenly got greedy. Did I achieve my Satisfactory target of under 3 hours or Happy Target of 2:45. The Run-keeper software like me had stopped working with 2 kms to go. I looked at my watch and did some math. It seems like I completed the race around 2:40. I was hoping that my math wasn't too off and my final time would be under 2:45. That would be a dream.

At the cooling off area, I received the medal and met my mentors Claudian and Kurund. Claudian who keeps track of everything confirmed that my timing was around 2:38. I was exhilarated. Just 2 hours ago, I was thinking of 'my last race'. I was already thinking of  next years half marathon. And how unlike this time, I'll be prepared. Which giving my track record is unlikely. :(

Claudian

Kurund

 

and me

I got home and the first thing I did was marked as "Completed", yet another item from my bucket list.

Top 3 Failures

A couple of days ago, Freia sent me a WhatsApp message with a link to an interesting article. I read the first part. It was good. Before I could complete it, a work message came. And I moved on. Later I messaged Freia that the article was interesting.

I got a frown back. And a call. "Did you read the article ?". I said "Yes!". "Then how come you didn't comment about me ?". "You. What do you mean ?". "Pa, my quote was featured in the article.". Oops. Yet another faux pas.

Here's the article. And unlike me, try not to miss Freia's quote.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/07/execs-twitter-lyft-facebook-reveal-the-questions-they-wish-theyd-asked-their-mentors.html

"

15 tech execs from Twitter, Facebook, Lyft and more reveal what they wish they’d asked their mentors

Published Mon, Jan 7 2019 • 1:14 PM EST • Updated Mon, Jan 7 2019 • 1:21 PM EST


Mentoring is key for success in any number of careers, but especially for women in male-dominated industries like tech. After all, only 54 percent of women have access to senior leaders who act as mentors in their career, according to a 2017 study by the recruitment firm Egon Zehnder.

CNBC Make It spoke to women leaders in big and small tech organizations and asked what they wish they’d asked a mentor and why. Their answers can help young workers of any stripe break into new industries and better navigate their careers.


What three things in the last three years taught you the most?

Sophia Dominguez, CEO and co-founder of immersive VR company SVRF, said she wished she’d known more about the biggest events and challenges in her mentor’s career and how they impacted her growth. Explained Dominguez, “Human beings learn the most when they are faced with issues that they had to work extremely hard to overcome.”


What is one thing I can do today to be more effective?
Mentors want to know that you can take clear feedback, according to Deb Liu, vice president of Facebook Marketplace and co-founder of the organization Women in Product. Asking this question, she said, gives your mentor permission to say the hard thing to you. “By showing a willingness to be vulnerable and open to feedback, they will share insights with you that you otherwise will not get.”


What do you wish you knew at my career stage?

Hindsight is always the clearest. Ask your mentors what could have helped them overcome some of the same early hurdles you’re facing, said Annie Weckesser, vice president of communications at NIO, an electric car company. “History repeats itself. You can learn from others who have blazed the trail ahead of you.”


What are my blind spots?

Sometimes you just need an outside perspective, according to Suzanne Livingston, a director at IBM Food Trust, a blockchain-based platform that traces food through supply chains. Knowing her own “default behaviors or communication styles earlier could have helped her push past them when needed,” she said.

“If you have a growth mindset, you can unlearn [those] default patterns,” she added.


What decisions got you where you are today and what alternatives did you consider?

Know the decision points your mentor faced, said Jesar Shah, product manager at Twitter. “The more time I spend in the industry, the more questions I have about what I want to do next, and most of my mentors have gone through the same thought process as me. Knowing what they considered and why is really helpful.”


Who’s in your squad?

Get closer to your mentors by knowing more about the network they’ve built, advised Sam Raue Hebert, vice president of production at Jellyvision, a software company. “Hearing what areas they’re focusing on can identify gaps in your own support system and inspire new areas for your self-improvement,” she said.


How do I find a champion for me?

Tracey Welson-Rossman, founder and CEO of TechGirlz, a nonprofit that advances girls in tech, said it’s invaluable to have a champion that can help you navigate a company or organization, and who can recommend you for projects or promotions when they become available. “I wish I’d understood this earlier in my career and asked my mentors for help in identifying the right ones,” she said.

What were your top three failures?

When she first started her job, Freia Lobo said she felt stressed about getting everything right. “In retrospect, hearing more about mistakes and failures would have been helpful to take some of that unnecessary pressure off,” said Lobo, an associate product manager at Twitter.


What did you learn from your failures and how did you deal with them?

Asking about failures would have allowed her to view her own accomplishments “in a broader context, savoring both the good and the bad on the ultimate path to achieving my goals,” said Tanya Jenkins, senior staff validation engineer at electric car company NIO.

It’s important to get a full picture of your mentor’s career, added Gina Ma, senior director of driver experience operations at Lyft. “I wish I had asked my mentors for a more textured view of their life journeys, to learn about what didn’t work out, what caused them to pivot, the risks they took, and what most shaped their learning,” she said.

Discussing those failures can also change your relationship with your mentor, said Jessica Naziri, founder of TechSesh, a lifestyle technology digital magazine. “You get a more real answer and can have a honest and open conversation with your mentor.”


How can you achieve successful work-life integration while trying to advance your career?

In order to be successful you have to have balance in your life personally and professionally, said Holly Good, national chapter chair, Women in Electronics. “My younger self thought the only way to achieve success was to work more hours, and I have learned over time that is not the case.”


How do you manage career planning?

Reaching certain leadership positions and executive level jobs doesn’t happen by accident, according to Jeana Feely, San Diego regional chapter chair, Women in Electronics. “Critically thinking about each step in my professional career path is not something I have done with guidance from someone who has walked the road before me,” she said.


How do you approach time management when running a team?

Lara Cohen, global head of partnership solutions at Twitter, said she wishes she’d asked her mentor about time management, specifically regarding managing reports while driving strategy and contributing as an individual.

“I prioritize my team always, and clearing a path for them to do their best work is crucial to me. I would have loved to hear some of [my mentor’s] strategies for how to manage both sides of being a great leader,” she said.


What did you need to sacrifice professionally or personally to accomplish your goals?

Sacrifice is not only inevitable but necessary, too, said Jackie Mattox, founder and president, Women in Electronics. “I have made many sacrifices along the way to achieving my life’s successes, and as women, we often put too much pressure on ourselves to do everything perfectly,” she said.

For Mattox, hearing the cost of success from someone she admired would have put things into perspective and helped her understand that not being able to “do it all” is okay.

p.s.: Freia asked me about my top 3 failures. Am still working on reducing the zillion to 3. :)